General policy considerations pertain to the identification of persons in the agency authorized to approve particular types of polygraph examinations, the development of approval criteria, the administration of the polygraph test, and the use of examination results. The five types of polygraph usage common in law enforcement and which should be governed by policy are applicant testing, internal investigations, criminal investigations, examinations conducted as a service to other agencies, and examinations of convicted subjects. This article outlines policies for each of these types of polygraph examinations. Miscellaneous polygraph policies discussed are polygraph consent forms, monitoring and recording polygraph examinations, examiner competence, and quality control. 19 footnotes.